Edge covering process and apparatus



1970 I i D. s. WAHLST iQOM 3,

EDGE COVERING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed Feb. 13, 19s? 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Dale 5. Whlsirom Jan. 20, 1970 o. s. WAHLSTROM 3,491,176

EDGE COVERING PROCESS AND APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 13, 196'? HHH U ull'f r, r fipt'iili :i" I

INVENTOR Dale 5. Wu ls'rrom 0, 7 D. s. WAHLSTRO'M 3,491,176

EDGE COVERING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed Feb. 13, 1967 3 Sheets-$heet 3 INVENTQR Dale 8. wuhlsirom BY AYTQRNEY United States Patent U.S. Cl. 264l38 27 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method for simultaneously forming and applying a cover layer of plastic material to an exposed edge of a belt or the like.

This invention relates to a method for applying a protective edge covering to articles, and is particularly useful in applying a protective edge covering to the exposed edge faces of cured, rubber-encased, longitudinally cut, conveyor belts.

In industry, conveyor belts of greatly varying size are used. These belts may consist of laminated fabric sheets completely encased in rubber. Belts of this type are quite expensive and the cost of maintaining a large inventory of such belts of varying widths, suited to the use of different customers, is prohibitive. The inventory is, therefore, limited resulting in relatively long delays to the customer, delays made necessary by the time required to man ufacture a belt to order with any desired width.

It has been suggested to manufacture a belt having excessive width and to thereafter cut such belt longitudinally to whatever width is desired by a particular customer. This would eliminate the need for warehousing a vast number of belts in different widths. However, when fabric reinforced rubber belting is longitudinally cut, the edges of the fabric inner layer are left exposed at the cut edge face of the belt. As the belts are often used in very damp atmosphere, the exposed fabric absorbs moisture and the entire fabric may become saturated. This greatly accelerates deterioration of the belt. Furthermore, an unprotected edge of a conveyor belt is subject to rapid wear. Normally, a protective rubber edge is formed on the belt during manufacturing thereof and cured together with the remainder of the rubber belt. The presently known methods, however, for applying an edging to a previously manufactured and cured conveyor belt, are both too cumbersome and costly to make the operation economically feasible, or are not suited for many final applications.

It is a principal object of this invention, therefore, to provide a method by which a protective cover may be efficiently and economically applied to the raw edge face of a longitudinally cut conveyor belt.

It is another object of this invention to provide a method whereby a conveyor belt of any desired width, within a prescribed range, may be quickly and economically produced, thus eliminating the necessity for maintaining a vast inventory of belts of varying widths.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel apparatus for accomplishing the aforesaid method.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a practical embodiment ice thereof, when taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of one possible embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the portion of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2 taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation illustrating, at a scale somewhat larger than FIG. 3, a portion of the structure of FIG. 3 taken along a line 4-4 of FIG. 3 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional elevation fragmentarily illustrating a portion of the structure of FIG. 4 taken along line 55 of FIG. 4 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure of FIG. 5 taken along line 66 of FIG. 5 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective partly cross-sectional illustration of a belt structure finished according to the method of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary transverse sectional elevation taken along the line 77 of FIG. 6 in the direction of the arrows but at a somewhat larger scale than FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary transverse sectional elevation illustrating a heater according to another embodiment of the invention.

The term plastic materia as used herein is intended to include natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and rubber-like synthetic plastic materials.

The apparatus according to the present invention includes a support means 1, in the form of frames 1a, 1b, and 1c, as illustrated in FIG. 1. A belt 2, to be processed according to the present invention, is carried on a supply roller 3 at one end of the support means and is horizontally supported on fiat surface portions of the support means for longitudinal movement in the direction of arrow A, with the lower side face of the advancing belt resting on the flat surface portions. A take-up spool 4, having connected thereto a drive means 5 is located at the opposite, downstream end, of the sup-port means for taking up the finished belt. A cutter means 6 having a cutter blade 6a is carried by frame 1b of the support in any conventional manner (not illustrated). The cutter blade is mounted for rotational movement about an axis which is parallel to the axes of the feed spool 3 and the takeup spool 4. The cutter blade 6a may be driven by any conventional means (not illustrated) such as, for example, may include the drive belt 6a and is mounted with respect to the support surface of frame 1b so as to cut through the entire thickness of a belt while the latter is advanced along a longitudinal path. Thus, in response to advancement of the belt 2 in the direction of arrow A, the cutter means 6 will cut the belt longitudinally along plane a into a pair of elongated belts 2a and 2b. Take-up spool 7, may be driven in any conventional manner by a separate drive means (also not illustrated), or may be connected by conventional means to drive means 5. Spool 7 is located in a position out of the plane which includes the path of movement of the belt 2a so as to take up the cut belt portion 212 and to detour the latter away from the plane of the path of belt portion 2a. Spools 4 and 7 should be driven at substantially the same speed. Preferably the axis of spool 7 is located in a plane spaced from the plane containing the belt portion 2a and parallel thereto. A pair of guide rollers 8a and 8b are respectively located above and below the horizontal side faces of the belt 2, downstream of the cutter means 6, so as to facilitate detouring the cut belt portion 2b out of the aforesaid path and into an inclined path toward the take-up spool 7 which. as seen in FIG. 1 may be located below the plane of bel portion 2a. Cutter means 6 is preferably adjusftably mounted for adjustment in axial direction thereof so that the width dimension to which belt portion 2a is cut, may be adjusted to any desired value.

Belt portion 2a next passes over and in contact with the upper horizontal guide surface 1a of frame 1a which latter is located downstream of frame 1b. Adjacent the path of belt 2a, the frame 1a carries an applicator means 9. Applicator means 9 is located, with respect to belt 2a, adjacent the exposed cut edge face located in plane a thereof. The belt 2 is of the conventional reinforced rubber type which includes a central fabric reinforcement layer 12 sandwiched between a pair of outer rubber layers and 11, as best seen in FIG. 7. Cutting of the belt in the plane a (FIG. 1) exposes the fabric layer 12. Applicator means 9 includes a first portion, i.e. mold member 9a defining an internal chamber or cavity 9a having a mouth opening toward the raw vertical edge face a of the belt 2a. The mouth of cavity 9a which is adjacent to the aforesaid raw edge face of the belt is located substantially in a plane parallel to this raw edge face. A vertically disposed plate 13 (FIG. 8) is vertically moveably mounted with respect to the portion 9a, at the forward end of the latter. The vertical movement may be accomplished by means of a tongue and groove engagement as 13a in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. The plate 13 has a bottom horizontal surface overlying a marginal edge portion of belt 2a. An adjustable means i.e., a locking device such as the screw-clamp arrangement 13a, permits positioning of the bottom of plate 13 above the horizontal support surface 1a, a distance substantially equal to the thickness of belt 2a. The raw vertical edge face of belt 2a together with the bottom surface of plate 13 and the upper surface In form a cavity 9a which is hereinafter considered to be an extension of cavity 9a and a part thereof. The member 9a is formed, on the down-stream side of the cavity, as seen in the direction of arrow A of FIG. 1, with'a wall portion 14 which, together with the plate 13 and surface 1a, defines a die opening parallel to and adjacent the edge a. The die opening thus formed communicates with the cavity 9a via cavity 9a".

Located behind the applicator means 9 is an extruder means 15 preferably including an extruder 15a and an extruder drive means 15b. Extruder 15a includes an extruder screw member 15a which is mounted for rotation within a co-axial closely fitted cylinder. Plastic material placed in this cylinder is therefore forced to move in axial direction of the cylinder. An axial conduit means 15a" communicates with the interior of cavity 9a and connects the latter to the extruder means as best seen in FIG. 4. Thus, plastic material of the type described in greater detail hereinafter, admitted via a material admitting means 15a into the extruder cylinder, is forced by the rotation of screw 15a in a direction normal to the plane of the exposed edge face a of the belt. The body of the extruder may be provided with liquid passages for heating and/or cooling of the extruder. Similarly, the applicator means 9 may be provided with heater means shown in the form of pencil-shaped heater members 17, for maintaining the temperature of member 9 and, therefore, of the plastic material in cavity 9a, at a predetermined value.

Frame 1a is formed with a slotted upper wall portion including slots d, e, f and g, (FIG. 3) all of which extend in a direction normal to the longitudinal path of the belt. The applicator, extruder and extruder drive means assembly 9, 15 is formed as an integral unit slideably mounted in the slots 7 and g of frame 1a for movement in said normal direction, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. Also carried by the upper wall of frame 1a but on the other side of the space normally occupied by belt 2a, is a guide means 18. This guide means 18 is in the form of an L- shaped member whose horizontal leg is slideably adjustably mounted in the guide slots 0. and e for move ment toward and away from the applicator means 9. A vertical leg of means 18 guides the uncut edge of belt 2a along a longitudinal path as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, by maintaining the raw edge face of the belt in engagement with a vertical face 19 of applicator 9a so as to properly locate the belt edge face with respect to the cavity 9a, 9a. The means 18 may, of course, also include resilient means, for example, a spring permanently biasing the L-shaped member toward the applicator means 10 so as to permanently bias the exposed edge face of the belt against the surface 19. Cavity 9a is preferably shaped so as to have a decreasing cross-section in the direction of the plastic material flow toward the cut edge face of the belt so that the material fills at least the smaller cross-sectional portions of the cavity in the vicinity of the belt edge and is properly compacted upon reaching the surface of the edge face. The cavity 9a is preferably curved, as seen in FIG. 3, in the direction of movement of the belt 2a, so as to facilitate flow of the plastic material therein in the direction of belt movement.

A presser means 20 located in the immediate vicinity of the mouth of cavity 9a, 9a" may, as seen in FIG. 4, be in the form of a manually adjustable screw member 20a engaging one end of a coil spring 20b whose other end engages a presser foot 200, so that in response to manual rotation of the screw 20a the spring may be expanded or compressed, respectively decreasing or increasing the pressure exerted thereby on presser foot 200 which in turn presses down upon the upper suface of belt 2a in the immediate vicinity of the mouth of cavity 9a" so as to prevent lateral buckling of the belt when plastic material is applied to the latter under the pressure of the extruder mechanism. Prevention of such buckling facilitates proper alignment of the belt edge face with respect to the applicator means at all times. For the sake of clarity, presser means 20 has been omitted from FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

Any other suitable presser means may of course be used in place of the screw member 20a and the spring 2%, as for example, an air or hydraulic cylinder arrangement with regulated pressure. Also, a spring biased roller means 21 may be swivelably mounted on a portion of frame 1a, above the upper side of belt 2a, so as to press the belt downwardly against the guide surface 1a. The means 21 may take the form of a freely rotatable roller. The additional presser means 21 is preferred when operating on relatively wide, thin, or flexible belts. The combination of members 200 and 21 provide a combined presser means, in the region of the applicator means, which extends across substantially the entire width of the belt 2a so as to practically eliminate the risk of lateral belt buckling in this region and the resulting risk of misalignment of the raw edge face. Downstream of the applicator means '9 there are located a pair of additional guide rollers 22a and 22b, respectively above and below the belt for guiding the lattter along said path. Downstream of these rollers there may be located a vulcanizing means 23, supported on frame 10 and preferably including an elongated vulcanizing chamber of known construction, through the interior of which the belt passes during its travel along said longitudinal path. The take-up roller 4, for the complete belt, is located downstream of the vulcanizing means 23. Alternatively, the vulcanizing means may be in the form of a heater 23 (as seen in FIG. 9) located along the path of movement of the belt at about the same location as means 23 but arranged to heat substantially only the extruded edge portion 24 of the belt.

In operation, after the cutter means 6 is axially adjusted for the desired belt width of belt 2a, the leading end (directly, or by way of a leader connected to such leading end) of belt 2a is applied to the take-up spOOl 4 for movement along a first predetermined path, while the leading end (directly, or by way of a leader connected thereto) of the cutaway belt portion 2b is applied to the take-up spool 7 for movement along a 2nd predetermined path inclined with respect to the path of movement of belt 2a. With belt 2a proceeding along said first predetermined path, supported by the surface 1a of support means 1, and with the guide means 18 adjusted to engage one edge of belt 2a and to maintain the opposite, exposed, cut edge in engagement with the guide surface 19 of applicator means 9, plastic material, of the type hereinafter described in more detail, is supplied through the material inlet means 15a' into the extruder 15a where, in response to actuation of the extruder drive means 15b, the material is extruded through conduit means 15a into the converging cavity 9a, filling the latter. Heating elements 17 may be energized through any suitably known circuit means (not illustrated), and together with temperature control means such as thermostats mounted in the region of the cavity 9a (not illustrated) control the temperature of the plastic mass therein, so that this mass may be maintained in a plastic, moldable state. Continued rotation of the extruder screw 15a forces more plastic material into the cavity 9a forcing the material already therein into contact with the raw vertical edge face of belt 2a via the cavity extension 9a". The drive means 5 is adapted to continuously advance the belt 2a in the direction of arrow A, as seen in FIG. 1, at a rate of speed which is proportional to the extrusion rate of the extruder means 15. The heater means 17 is arranged in a circuit which may include thermostatic control means for maintaining the temperature of the plastic mass in in the cavity 9a, 9a" substantially constant irrespective of the extrusion chamber temperature which latter temperature may vary as a function of the rotational speed of the extruder screw.

The plate 13 of applicator means 9 defines, together with the wall portion 14, the guide surface 1a, and the portion of the vertical edge face of belt 2a momentarily in the region of the applicator means, a die opening through which a portion of the plastic material in the cavity 9a, 9a", is drawn in response to adhesion with and advancement of the belt 2a in the direction of arrow A. The plastic mass (e.g. uncured rubber of a composition similar to that specified hereinafter in detail) which emerges from the die opening together with the belt and adhering to the latter, emerges with a cross-sectional shape substantially identical to that of the die opening. Thus, for the rectangular opening illustrated, for example in FIGS. 4 and 8, e.g., an opening equal to the crosssection of cavity 90', the edge layer of uncured rubber would assume the shape illustrated in FIG. 7. The edge layer 24 is seen to be adhering to the previously exposed, cut vertical edge surface of the belt. Upon further travel in the direction of arrow A, the belt may pass, as previously noted, through a vulcanizing means of conventional construction and preferably comprising an oven wherein the rubber edge layer 24 is cured and becomes securely bonded at least to the outer, previously cured rubber layers 10 and 11 of a conventional, cut, conveyor belt, and acts as a protective cover for the fabric reinforcing layer 12 thereof.

Thus, conventional belting may be produced in large quantities and at relatively low cost by known equipment adjusted to produce extra-wide belting. Thereafter, whenever a customer desires belting having a specific lesser width, the extra Wide belting is cut longitudinally, in the foregoing manner, resulting in a belt 2a having a Width dimension slightly less than the desired width, so that, with the additional width of the covering 24, the required belt width will be achieved,

If desired, belting having two raw edges may be treated in a similar manner by using a pair of applicator means 9 and arranging on opposite sides of the belt path so as to operate on both edges of the belting simultaneously.

Preferably, the interior of the cavity 9:1 as well as the apparatus walls defining the cavity extension 9a" are coated with polytetrafluoroethylene so as to prevent adherence of the tacky moldable plastic material therein to the walls of the cavity, thus, facilitating the passage of the plastic material therethrough. Furthermore, the applicator means 9a is preferably provided with an escape passage 25, which Will permit the escape of excess plastic material from the interior of the cavity in the event that the rate of extrudate flowing into the cavity exceeds the rate of withdrawal of plastic material by the belt, from the cavity through the die opening.

The tacky mass of plastic material is thus applied in plastic state to the vertical edge face of the belt and is simultaneously shaped by the walls of the die opening as the material is drawn through the latter by the belt. The belt is continuously advanced at a predetermined rate of speed. Plastic material, in a plastic state, is continuously fed by the extruder means into contact with the moving belt edge face at a feed rate proportional to the rate of movement of the belt, and the temperature of the plastic material in the cavity is maintained relatively constant. The foregoing simultaneous, continuous application and shaping of the edge layer results in a fast, accurate and therefore economically advantageous operation.

The following materials are listed here as examples only, of materials which have been tested and found to be satisfactory for use, as plastic edging material, in the above manner:

COMPOUND 1 The above components are Banbury mixed for approximately 9 minutes. At the end of this time the temperature will have risen to approximately 240 F, Thereafter the Banbury batch is dumped, allowed to cool, and after JANbOrt-n cooling is placed again in the Banbury. In a second cycle I of mixing Sulfur (curative), 2 parts by weight, is added, and the batch is mixed for approximately 3 /2 minutes, or until the batch temperature rises to 220 R, whichever occurs first. Normally, the 220 F. temperature will be reached in approximately 3 /2 minutes.

COMPOUND 2 Ingredients: Parts by weight Smoked sheet (natural rubber) Zinc oxide (activator accelerator) 4 MPC Black (medium processing channel black) 52 Pine tar (softener and plasticizer) 4 BLE (antioxidantreaction productibfacetone and diphenylamine) 1 7 Ingredients: Parts by weight Paraflin wax (processing aid) .3 Stearic acid (processing aid) 1 Reogen (plasticizer and processing aid-mixture of an oil soluble sulfonic acid of high molecular weight with a parafiin oil) 10 MODX (activator antioxidantmixture of in organic and organic acetates-a proprietary mixture of inorganic and organic acetates containing diphenyl ethylenediamine) 1 ESEN (retarderphthalic anhydride) .8 DELAC-S (acceleratorN-cyclohexyl-2 benzothiazole sulfenamide) .8 Sulfur (curative) 2.7

The above ingredients are mixed in a Banbury, with the order of addition being that given in the formula. The components are mixed for 9 /2 minutes, with a gradual rise in Banbury temperature to 215 F., this temperature being reached at the end of 9 /2 minutes at which time the batch is dropped from the Banbury.

According to the method of the present invention, it is possible to apply a rubber edging to the cut edges of conventional, cured rubber belting. As a result, the belting may be manufactured in very wide widths and cut to specific narrow widths as required. Thereafter, the rubber edging according to the present invention may be applied. This invention, therefore, makes possible the application of a protective rubber edge to the cut edge of cured, conventional, fabric reinforced, rubber belting so that such edge will not be subject to rapid wear and moisture pick-up. The process according to the present invention is suitable for use with the following materials as edging material: natural rubber, neoprene, butyl, Hypalon, GRS or SBR, nitrile, polyurethane and PVC.

It should be noted, however, that certain of these materials, e.g., polyurethane, do not require a curing oven in order to solidify and securely adhere to the edge face of the belt. When such materials are used, the curing step may, of course, be eliminated.

By way of example, the apparatus and process described hereinabove has been used successfully in the following manner:

Natural rubber was cold milled and fed into a 1 /2 inch tubular extruder with a barrel of 12 inches. The die (cavity) temperature was maintained at 200 F., and the extruder temperature was maintained at 100 F. The extruder was run at r.p.m. A 10 foot applied edge was cured in a vulcanizer at 50 p.s.i. steam pressure for 30 minutes.

The above, of course is intended only to serve as an example, since it will be readily recognized by anyone skilled in the art that for different rates of belt movement (i.e. belt speed) the rate of delivery, from the extruder, of plastic material, would have to vary. Varying the screw r.p.m. of the extruder would, however, be accompanied by variation of the extruder temperature which would necessitate a change in the temperature of the die cavity 9a, 9a".

It will also be noted that a change in the rubber composition would, in any given extruder, call for a different set of operating conditions. But adjustment of the conditions to proper extrusion is believedto be within the skill of anyone familiar with the art of extrusion. Different rubber compositions will, of course, for best results, require different extrusion temperatures. In any event, when using compounds which are self-curing, or contain curatives, it is necessary to extrude the plastic material at a temperature below that at which the material will scorch or begin to cure. Similarly, the vulcanization conditions required, if any, will vary with the composition of the extruded plastic material.

The aforesaid natural rubber and SBR-based edging compounds have been used successfully a edging materials with belting of the following materials, listed as examples only:

Natural Rubber, SBR rubber, blends of SBR and natural rubber, cis-polyisoprene and blends thereof with either natural or SBR rubber.

Other plastic materials may be used for the edging so long as such materials are compatible with the base rubber material of the belt so that good adhesion can be obtained at least when a suitable tie coat layer is interposed. The edging material must be flexible within the same temperature ranges and to a similar degree as the remainder of the belt, and must be curable at temperatures which will not degrade the adjacent belt material.

The term plastic materials is intended to include rubber as well as synthetic plastic materials which exhibit, in the presence of the predetermined temperatures prevailing in the cavity 9a, 9a", the characteristics of a viscous yet fiowable, tacky mass of elastomeric material and which will thereafter solidify by cooling, or as in the case of rubber compounds, by vulcanizing. This fiowable, tacky mass flows into the Teflon lined cavity 9a, 9a", filling the latter, and into contact with the exposed edge face of the belt, adhering to the latter for movement therewith through the die opening.

Preferably, the process is a continuous one with the belt 2a continuously cut from a wider belt 2 and moving continuously with respect to the applicator means 9a, while plastic material having the aforesaid properties is continuously extruded into contact with the cut, raw edge face of the belt 2a and is thereupon continuously shaped as it advances with the belt and passes through the die opening.

The invention can also be practiced by holding the belt stationary and by moving the applicator means along the edge of the belt.

.While particular embodiments of this invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a method of covering an elongated edge portion of a sheet member such as a belt or the like, the steps of providing an applicator member having an internal chamber and an opening communicating with said internal chamber; positioning an edge portion of the sheet member adjacent said opening of said applicator member so that it closes the forward portion thereof while leaving the remaining part of the opening uncovered; providing in the interior of said chamber and in contact with said edge face a tacky mass of plastic material; moving one of said members with respect to the other in a direction to form with the uncovered part of said opening a layer of plastic material resembling in cross section the outline of said uncovered part and adhering to said edge portion, said uncovered part of said opening forming together with said edge portion of said sheet member a die opening for shaping the layer of plastic material and for pressing the latter firmly against the elongated edge portion.

2. In a method according to claim 1, wherein said excess material is removed by providing an escape path therefor out of said chamber.

3'. In a method of forming a protective covering over an elongated edge portion of a sheet member such as a conveyor belt, or the like, the steps of:

providing an applicator member having a die portion facing toward and closely spaced from said edge portion;

positioning said edge portion of said sheet member adjacent the opening of said die so that it closes the forward portion thereof;

continuously supplying plastic material in plastic state from said applicator member toward and into contact with said edge portion; and

simultaneously shaping said plastic material into a continuous bead of predetermined cross-section extending along and covering said edge portion by ex truding said plastic material in contact with said edge portion through a die opening formed by said edge portion, on the one hand, and said die portion of said applicator member, on the other hand.

4. In a method according to claim 3 wherein the applicator member includes a chamber opening toward said edge portion and the plastic material is supplied to the interior of said chamber from an external source.

5. In a method according to claim 4 wherein said plastic material is supplied to the interior of said chamber by extrusion.

6. In a method according to claim 5, continuously extruding the plastic material at a predetermined rate, continuously advancing said one member with respect to the other in a direction parallel to the edge face of the belt member at a speed which is proportional to said predetermined rate, and maintaining the temperature of the plastic material in the chamber at a predetermined level.

7. In a method according to claim 6, wherein said predetermined rate of extrusion, said predetermined speed of advancement and said predetermined temperature are each maintained substantially constant.

8. In a method according to claim 4 wherein said chamber is maintained at least substantially filled with plastic material.

9. In a method according to claim 3 wherein said sheet member is a belt formed of an inner fabric reinforcing layer sandwiched between a pair of outer layers of rubber material, said step of supplying said plastic material comprising the step of adhering said mass of plastic material to said rubber outer layers.

10. In a method according to claim 9, wherein, said outer layers of the belt consist of rubber and said mass of plastic material consists of an uncured mass of rubber, the step of curing the rubber material of the edge strip after the latter has been formed on the belt.

11. In a method according to claim 3, said sheet member being in the form of an elongated conveyor belt, the step of confining the side portions of the belt, in the region of the applicator, so as to prevent buckling of the belt intermediate the opposite edge faces thereof in response to pressures exerted on the first mentioned edge portions of the belt by the application thereto and shaping thereon of the plastic material.

12. In a method according to claim 11, the step of applying pressure to the side portions of the belt, in said region in a direction to press the faces toward each other and extruding the plastic material toward and into contact with the edge portion of the belt member.

13. The method according to claim 3 further comprising the step of guiding said one member with respect to said other member for maintaining a substantially constant spacing between said die portion and said applicator member.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein said step of guiding comprises guiding said sheet member along said edge face thereof for maintaining the latter at said constant spacing relative to said die portion.

15. The method according to claim 3 wherein said sheet member is moved at a given rate of speed with respect to said applicator member and said plastic material is supplied at a rate proportional to said given rate of speed.

16. The method according to claim 3 wherein said die opening is such as to form said continuous bead only along said edge portion, said plastic material being substantially confined, while passing through said die opening, to a space determined on the one hand by said spacing between said edge face and said die portion and, on the other hand, by the width of said sheet member.

17. The method according to claim 3 wherein said step of supplying the plastic material comprises extruding the plastic material toward and into contact with said edge portion.

18. In a method according to claim 3 wherein said sheet member consists of a belt which is cut longitudinally from a belt of greater width leaving exposed a cut longitudinal edge portion thereof, said belt consisting of an inner layer of fabric sandwiched between a pair of outer rubber layers, the step of adhering said mass in the form of an edge strip to the rubber outer layers of the belt so as to protect the inner fabric layer from exposure to the atmosphere.

19. In a method according to claim 3, the step of maintaining the edge portion of the sheet member accurately located with respect to the remainder of said die opening so that the thickness of the formed layer will be constant.

20. In a method according to claim 3 wherein said sheet member consists of an elongated belt, the steps of maintaining said applicator member stationary while moving said belt longitudinally with respect thereto, the movement of said belt drawing the adhering plastic material through said die.

21. In a method according to claim 3 wherein said die opening is located substantially in a plane transverse to the plane containing the edge face of the belt.

22. In a method according to claim 3, further comprising heating said applicator member for maintaining the plastic material therein in plastic state.

23. In a method of covering an exposed edge face of an elongated, multi-layer, belt-shaped member at least a portion of which consists of rubbery material, the steps of providing a mold member defining a cavity and having a first opening located substantially in a first plane and a second opening communicating with said first opening and located substantially in a plane transverse to said first plane; placing the belt shaped member and the mold together so that the edge face is adjacent said first opening and closes said opening to form a mold cavity; supplying at a predetermined rate a tacky mass of rubber material in plastic state to the interior of the mold cavity and into contact with said portion of said edge face so as to adhere to the latter; and advancing said belt shaped member longitudinally thereof with respect to said mold so that said edge face advances along a path located substantially in said first plane at a rate proportional to said predetermined rate whereby plastic material adhering to said edge face passes from said cavity through said second opening thereof in the form of a strip whose cross-section conforms to the outline of said second opening forming a protective covering over said exposed edge face.

24. In a method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of curing the material of said strip so that the latter solidifies and becomes securely bonded to said edge face of the belt.

25. In a method of providing an elongated conveyor belt of predetermined width and having protected edges from an elongated belt of greater width than said predetermined width, in combination, the steps of cutting the belt of greater width longitudinally thereof so as to provide a belt having a width slightly less than said predetermined width and having an exposed longitudinal edge face where the cut was made; placing said belt adjacent an applicator member to define a mold cavity so that the edge face of said belt forms one wall of the mold cavity, advancing the cut belt longitudinally at a predetermined substantially constant speed; and applying to said exposed edge face of the belt a tacky mass of plastic material, while simultaneously shaping said material, in the region of application thereof, into the form of an edge strip adhering to and covering said edge face and having a thickness in the width dimension of the belt which is substantially equal to the difference between the width of said cut belt and said predetermined width.

26. In a method according to claim 25, the step of curing the material of said edge strip so that the latter solidifies and becomes securely bonded to the edge face of said belt so as to form a completed belt having substantially said predetermined width.

1 1 1 2 27. In a method according to claim 25 wherein apply- References Cited ing said mass of plastic material to said edge face com- UNITED STATES PATENTS prlses mamtaming the mass of matenal 111 a plastlc state in a cavity adjacent the path of said edge face of the 2,716,074 8/1955 Mlck et a1 264171 belt and opening toward said edge face so that said edge 5 3,106,481 10/1963 Sorg 117-44 face contacts the mass of plastic material, said edge face 3,328,220 6/1967 Hardlng 264252 momentarily forming part of a die with the wall of the cavity, on the downstream side thereof with respect to ROBERT WHITE: Pnmary Exammel' the direction of movement of the belt, so that the plastic SHEAR, Assistant Examiner material which adheres to said portion of the edge face,

when the latter is adjacent said cavity, is drawn through the die in response to advancing of the belt. 1Ys 13; 2 4 171, 230, 52, 259 

